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UW Women Take Opening Spring Rodeo Title

March 30, 2009 — The message is pretty clear to the rest of the
Central Rocky Mountain Region (CRMR): The University of Wyoming women's
rodeo team will not let up this spring.

The Cowgirls intend to reclaim the overall national points lead after
holding it at the end of the fall season. But with several colleges
across the nation getting an early start on the spring season a couple
of weeks ago, the UW women have dropped to second place behind New
Mexico State University.

But the way things went for UW's women last weekend in the spring
season's opening rodeo, the Cowgirls should contend for the overall
national lead during the next couple of weeks.

The UW women dominated Sunday's Eastern Wyoming College (EWC) rodeo,
claiming their sixth team title in as many CRMR events this season. It
was another dominating performance by a team that didn't even use all of
its major weapons to score team points.

Only two of Coach George Howard's "big three" scored points, but
seniors Nikki Steffes and Sarah Mulholland did enough to help lead the
team to an impressive 415-point win over second-place regional rival,
Central Wyoming College (CWC). UW scored 615 points, while the Lady
Rustlers were a distant second and Casper College was third with 175
team points.

The Cowgirls have a 2,222-point lead over Gillette College in the regional standings.

Steffes, a molecular biology senior from Vale, S.D., who leads the
nation in all-around individual points, led the Cowgirls in Torrington
with 335 of UW's total team points. Mulholland, nursing, Richland
Center, Wis., added another 240. The pair also finished first and
second, respectively, in the all-around points chase.

Steffes, who has finished second two straight seasons in the College
National Finals Rodeo, won the EWC event and then added third-place
average points in barrel racing, an event in which she is the regional
leader. Mulholland finished strongly in two events as well. She was the
breakaway roping average runner-up and also third in goat tying.

The final team points came from Lander kinieseology freshman Heather Bregar, who was fifth in goat tying.

The UW men remained in contention for the CRMR overall team title by
finishing a close third in Torrington. Gillette College won with 550
points, front-running CWC was second with 510 and the Cowboys were just
five points back. That left UW's men just 245 behind the
regional-leading Rustlers.

The Cowboys showed decent balance on both sides of the arena in
Torrington by scoring points in both roughstock and timed events.

Header Chad Nelson, agricultural business senior from Buffalo, S.D.,
and partner Beau Miller of Gillette College placed second in the team
roping average. UW teammate Tyler Viles, finance senior from Cody, added
opening round points, but did not place in the average with roping
partner Jared Bilby of EWC.

Gillette animal science sophomore Merritt Smith placed fifth in the
tie down average and he also added opening round points in saddle bronc
riding. Jason Hubbard, an agriculture senior from Wheatland, was third
in the tie down roping competition.

The Cowboys and Cowgirls will travel to Fort Collins this weekend for the Colorado State University Rodeo.

Listed are the men's and women's team points, followed by the individual winners in the average:

Men's team standings -- Gillette College (GC) 550; Central Wyoming
College (CWC), 510; University of Wyoming (UW) and Lamar Community
College (LCC), 505; Northeastern Junior College (NJC), 310; Eastern
Wyoming College (EWC), 265; Casper College (CC) 245; Colorado State
University (CSU) 180; Sheridan College (SC), 145; Chadron State College
(CSC), 125; Laramie County Community College (LCCC), 40.